Review: Zhen Wei Fang and Tang Hot Pot on Bowery Add Swag to Chinese Hot Pot Without Losing Soul | Eater NY

"Inside Zhen Wei Fang — backed by Wei Chen and the Congee Village team — a robot host greets guests in Mandarin while mixed martial arts matches play on multiple TVs and Michael Jackson pumps through the sound system; the environment is wild and theatrical, with multitiered meat trays rising three feet above tables. I watched diners plunge red ribbons of New Zealand lamb ($15) into white bone broth and slurp the cooked meat like noodles; private rooms accommodate sake-fueled karaoke and semi-private rooms act as immersive multimedia carousels with 1990s-screensaver-style projectors. The menu ranges from $6 personal broths on induction burners (which I liked for letting you taste many soups) to A5 wagyu seared tableside for $80; spicy Sichuan, pork bone, and sweet-and-sour tomato broths each bring distinct personalities and are sippable on their own. Chef Wei Huang (a Guangdong native who led Zhen Wei’s first Miami location) oversees standout items — cumin lamb skewers, chilled bang bang chicken, shellfish boils, intensely funky XO ramekins — and ensures everything is sliced thinly enough to cook quickly; the shaved ribeye ($12) is notably well-marbled and almost disintegrates like wagyu. I recommend enjoying these cuts in the back room with its four 82-inch televisions." - Ryan Sutton